6 Things To Consider Before Going To Grad School For Communications

If you want to advance your career in communications, you may
have toyed with the idea of getting a master’s degree. It’s a
tough job market out there, so any extra edge you could get on
your resume would be a great thing, right?

Well, yes—but that extra edge isn’t necessarily a grad degree.
Before you sign up for two years of school (and tuition), it’s
important to make sure that getting an M.A. in communications is
the best move for you.

Here are some common reasons—both good and bad—for going back to
grad school, and some perspective on them that might help you
decide.

3 Good Reasons

1. You want to acquire specific communications
expertise

Many students pursue a master’s in communications hoping it will
give them a competitive advantage—since a graduate degree can
help you stand out among your peers by acquiring new skills and
experiences. And if you’re looking for a
specific promotion and know that you don’t meet all of the
requirements, going back to school can be a good way to move
beyond that barrier. You’ll learn about best practices in your
field and gain tangible experience in everything from project
management to research and writing (more on that later).

However, there are other ways to acquire new expertise without
going back to grad school. Asking to take on projects outside
your expertise, seeking out
mentors, and even volunteering can also help you gain new
skills. These opportunities offer practical, hands-on experience
in a way that academic study may not, so be mindful of the skills
you’re trying to acquire and determine where you can learn them
best. If it’s grad school, that’s a great reason to go.

2. You’d like to enhance your research and presenting
skills

On that note, there are a couple of key skills an M.A. in
communications is uniquely designed to help you gain—namely,
research, writing, and presenting skills. Most (though, not all)
communications graduate programs will require you to complete
some form of original research project, through which you will
learn how to develop a research question, investigate that
question by collecting relevant data, and articulate your
findings. You’ll work one-on-one with an advising faculty member,
who will teach you about the intricacies of executing research
and help you learn how to defend your claims orally.

These research and public speaking skills are particularly useful
if you’re working in marketing, public relations, organizational
communications, human relations, or other business functions. If
your career will involve researching your industry’s practices or
programs and sharing your findings, an M.A. in communications is
perfect experience.

3. You want to learn to write effectively for multiple
audiences

In order to complete your thesis (as well as many other program
requirements), you’re going to have to learn to write for both
specialist and lay audiences. Theses are written for other
academics in a given field, but you’ll also learn to translate
your research into nontechnical terms to apply for grants,
awards, or even just to write home about what you’re working on.

While having a specific career goal may seem like a great reason
to get a graduate degree in communications, many programs do not
offer coursework in these topics—those classes are instead found
in separate journalism, film, or media production departments.

So before applying, make sure to look carefully at the curricular
emphases of the programs you’re interested in. If you want to be
a journalist or work in production, you’ll need to figure out if
your schools of interest offer training in these areas. And if
they don’t? You might want to look into getting a degree in
journalism or your specific field of interest instead.

Advertising, public relations, and marketing are other fields
that are sometimes situated outside of communications
departments. Spend time determining if a master’s in
business administration, advertising, or applied
communications might be a better fit for you.

2. You feel stuck in your current job

If you’re unhappy in your current job and looking at grad school
as a way out, be honest with yourself. Will changing fields
really fix your problem? Are you going to be happier in grad
school? Remember, it’s still hard work and still in the
communications field—it’s just done in a library or lab rather
than in a cubicle. Going to grad school won’t necessarily fix the
issues you have with your current job or career path, and school
is a costly way to stall decisions about the future or avoid “the
real world.”

Step back and ask why you’re thinking about going back to school.
If you want a change of pace or position, consider joining
industry associations, finding a mentor, or upping your networking
efforts to meet people to help you transition.

3. You’d like to earn more and increase your standard of
living

While grad school can help your earning potential, it also comes
with a price tag. Tuition and fees will vary—depending on program
length, university, residency status, and whether or not you have
dependents—and that’s only one piece of the expense. You’ll also
forego your full-time wages while you’re in school. Plus, student
loan budgets assume a moderate lifestyle, so you may need to
re-evaluate some of the spending habits you’ve gotten used to as
a professional.

If your degree will only slightly increase your earning
potential, be aware the years of lost wages while in school may
not be “worth it” from a purely financial standpoint. Many
communications positions don’t require a graduate degree, so you
may not see an earnings bump in your first position after your
master’s.

As you’re considering getting a master’s in communications, think
through your reasoning, and talk to others about their reasons,
too. Going to grad school can be a great way to advance your
career—just make sure before you go that it’s the best path for
you.